Lincoln-Douglas; Obama-McCain: celebrating 150 years of rhetoric
(Sept. 15, 2008) The Colorado Center for Public Humanities in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is presenting "From Lincoln-Douglas to Obama-McCain: 150 Years of American Political Rhetoric" noon-1:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 2, in Tivoli 320.
“We’re going to stage a reenactment of the very entertaining Lincoln-Douglas debates, and then follow that with a discussion about how political rhetoric and political campaigning have evolved over the past 150 years,” explains Philip Joseph, associate professor of English and center director. “The event commemorates the 150th anniversary of Lincoln-Douglas and is timed to coincide with the first Obama-McCain debate.”
The two featured panelists — Stephen Hartnett, professor of communication, and Gillian Silverman, assistant professor of English – have both published extensively on Lincoln-Douglas and on antebellum political culture. “Moderator David Hildebrand, assistant professor of philosophy, is a John Dewey specialist, a political junkie, and a very funny man,” Joseph notes. “He'll have clips from the Obama-McCain debate to direct the conversation after the re-enactment.”
The event promises to combine theatrical performance with a meaty post-debate discussion on the American political scene.
The debate is one of many activities planned by the Colorado Center for Public Humanities. Check out the center’s website for more information.